Makes Love to Pressure

What can you say? Simply put, the man makes love to pressure.

After relinquishing the 26-point lead to the Los Angeles Lakers on Kobe Bryant’s two free throws, the Golden Warriors were stumbling on the offensive end with Baron Davis and Monta Ellis taking ill-advised shots. Stephen Jackson took it into his own hands on the next succession and bulled his way to a foul and a trip to the line.

Up to that point, Jackson was perfect from the line at 5 for 5. He calmly nailed the two free throws and was fouled again on the next possession. Those free throws fell in line just like the seven before even with Phil Jackson’s timeout call in-between.

The Warriors led 109-105 with 56 seconds left in the game before Bryant flipped the savior switch and nailed a 3-pointer over Kelenna Azubuike to pull the Lakers within one. With the crowd on their feet and cheering, one could feel the momentum slowly swing over to the Lakers favor. Jackson would have none of that and silenced the crowd with a three of his own to push the lead back up to four.

Like a man-possessed, Bryant launched a three from a few feet behind the arc and nailed it with 30 seconds to go to again put the pressure on the Warriors. With no need to foul, the Lakers hounded Davis at the top of the key, bringing other defenders closer to seal off the driving lanes. As the defense crystallized, a huge mistake could be seen in the telecast. Jackson stood aways off behind the arc with a clear view of the basket.

Pass. Shoot. Swish.

The Warriors ride Jackson’s late-game heroics to end their 9-game losing streak to the Lakers in Los Angeles in dramatic fashion.

Taken by Jeff Lewis (AP Photo)

The way the game began, most thought the Warriors would have cruised their way to a victory. The Lakers came out of the gates making poor decisions, consistently turning the ball over leading to 20+ fastbreak points for the Warriors. Jackson was hot in the first quarter, contributing 16 points with 4 of 5 from behind the arc including a improbable bank shot. By the half rode around, the Warriors led the Lakers by twenty-three, 72 to 49.

After the half, the Lakers took care of the ball and played solid defense. The Warriors were forced into missing long jump shots and the comeback was on. Fortunately for the Warriors, Jackson and Ellis came through in the end to avoid what would have been an embarrassing loss.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

Tags: 2007-2008 Season, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA
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Stephen Jackson started out hot from behind the arc; but, as the game progressed, his shot started to rim out due to Tracy McGrady running him ragged on the defensive end.

Taken by D. Ross Cameron (AP Photo)

The game was a hard fought battle on both sides, there were multiple lead changes throughout. Bobby Jackson had a monster game for the Rockets scoring 16 points off the bench on 5 for 8 from behind the arc including an improbable double pump fadeaway three to beat the shot clock in the 2nd half. The circus shot took the air out of the Warriors’ sails after a terrific defensive stand.

And, of course, Tracy McGrady showed why he is among the elite in terms of scoring. Every shot he took stroked the net even with a hand in his face. His clutch shots kept the crowd out of the game and the Warriors at bay.

What really sucked were the amount of players on the Rockets whose builds and style of play fit the mold of Warrior killers (ex: Paul Milsap and Brandon Bass). Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and Carl Landry are the type of high-energy, board-crashing players which the Warriors cannot handle.

The Warriors unselfish play did not help matters any. Rather then working to get open shots, the team stood around while the person with the ball went one-on-one with their defender. The selfish tendency may have been compounded by Al Harrington’s inability to make an open 3 or a layup. His 7 for 19 floor game killed the Warriors as each possession turned out to be critical.

The Rockets game and especially the Kings game were much-needed wins because from this point forward, the games are against much tougher competition. The next two, in fact, are against the Western division leader Los Angeles Lakers. The first game is in LA with the next game on a back-to-back at Oracle. If the Warriors cannot at least split the games, then their playoff hopes will surely end.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

Tags: 2007-2008 Season, Houston Rockets, NBA
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Taken by Andy Hayt (NBAE/Getty Images)

Stephen Jackson scored 16 points the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from their loss against the Sacramento Kings the night before.

Jackson was on fire from behind the line in the beginning of the quarter going 5 for 7 at one point. It also helped that the Los Angeles Clippers were playing bad defense, consistently leaving Jackson wide open for his shots. With a bunch of points scored under his belt, Jackson was able to play loose for the rest of game putting his energy on defense and ball distribution.

Having built a double-digit lead in the first quarter, Coach Nelson was able to rest Baron Davis for the majority of the game and cruise along with the bench for much of the game. Unfortunately, the Warriors’ bench was unable to hold the 20-point lead built up by the starters as the difference sank to single digits. Nelson was forced to insert Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins back into the game. Ellis went on the make all seven of his shots in the quarter to give the Warriors a needed win.

The Clippers are a scary team for the future if they keep the good players on their team. Al Thornton is a slimmer clone of Corey Maggette. Both players can shoot outside and post up inside. Both draw a bunch of fouls and shoot a decent percentage at the free throw stripe. In tonight’s game alone, the two players combined totaled 35 free throw attempts. Thornton was 12 for 16 and Maggette was an uncharacteristic 11 for 19.

Add in Elton Brand and a healthy Chris Kaman to go along with Tim Thomas and the front court is set. They just need to find a distributing PG in the draft or from free agency and this team could compete for a playoff spot.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

Tags: 2007-2008 Season, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA
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The Golden State Warriors looked like a team playing for a high lottery draft pick tonight against the Sacramento Kings. The two teams traded leads all throughout the first half and the Kings showed up in the 2nd half to blow out the Warriors. A run led by Brandan Wright and the bench crew closed within six in the 4th quarter. But, after the starters were subbed in, the Kings pushed the lead back into double digits and cruised the rest of the way.

Stephen Jackson was given the unlikely task of guarding Ron Artest. Artest is a physical player and outweighs Jackson by a good thirty pounds of muscle. Artest bullied his way into Jackson and was able to draw three fouls midway through the first quarter, forcing Jackson to sit for the rest of the half.

In the second half, Jackson’s shot was cold from having sat so long in the first half. Shots he usually made rimmed out which led to him forcing even more shots.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

Tags: 2007-2008 Season, NBA, Sacramento Kings
Posted under On the Court | 1 Comment »

Tonight’s game was ugly. The Memphis Grizzlies was able to slow down the pace of the game and stymie the Warriors fast break system. Both team got off to rough starts with Baron Davis jamming his finger early in the first quarter. With Davis out, Stephen Jackson shouldered the scoring load hitting a three and driving into the lane for pull-up jumpers or layups.

The Warriors held a double-digit lead heading into the half. But, you’ve got to hand it to the young players on the Grizzlies. They battled for looseballs and stepped into passing lanes, playing the style of defense the Warriors try to employ. Looking tired from the game against the Phoenix Suns two days ago, the Warriors turned the ball over 20 times and stumbled towards the finishing line.

With the score separated by one score, Davis and Jackson showed the fans why they are paid the big bucks. Every time the Grizzlies threatened to take the lead, Davis would pull up and hit a dead-eye jumper or drive pass his defender for layups. With the seconds ticking off the clock and the Grizzlies forced to foul, Jackson calmly drained the three free throws needed to break the Grizzlies spirit.

Taken by Ben Margot (AP Photos)

In the last 0.3 seconds of the game, Jackson was at the free throw line. Most players would have hit the two free throws to boost their stats; but Jackson did the heady play and fired the ball off the rim to wind down the clock. This type of unselfish play is what makes Jackson an ideal teammate and captain.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

Tags: 2007-2008 Season, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA
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